Windstream and Charter are the latest business services providers to gain the Metro Ethernet Forum's (MEF) Carrier Ethernet 2.0 certification, a designation that's becoming a Good Housekeeping seal of approval for Ethernet providers.

This certification is important for both Windstream and Charter -- particularly as these carriers look to challenge larger incumbent telcos like AT&T and Verizon, two telcos that hold a strong presence in the larger business market segment. It will give each company's customers confidence that E-Access services have been stringently tested and are compliant with the latest MEF specifications.

For Windstream, which has set an aggressive network buildout strategy of crafting various long-haul 100G routes, can use this designation to not only attract more business customers, but also its growing base of wholesale accounts.

It is also being aggressive on the local network level. The service provider plans to spend $25 million to increase its on-net fiber building footprint initially in five markets. This expansion will serve two purposes: it will potentially reduce $1 billion in local access costs it pays to other ILECs while enhancing its ability to fulfill higher speed Ethernet requests.

Charter's Spectrum Business Enterprise Solutions is also going through a transformation of sorts. When it completes its acquisitions of Time Warner Cable -- which already has gained CE 2.0 certification -- and Bright House Networks, Charter will have an even larger business services footprint. This means that its services will be CE 2.0 compliant across its entire footprint.